Mind Games
by Kelly Noel
Summary: Bakura shadows a physiatrist for a school assignment that supposed to help students decide what they might want to be when they leave high school. During a session, a familiar face resurfaces, revealing more about a certain blonde than Bakura really wante


Mind Games  
  
Kelly Noel  
  
September 04, 2003 Thursday  
  
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Notes:  
  
It's a weird idea I got while sitting in study hall. Reading the quotes in your agenda pad can do things to your mind… *shudder*  
  
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Disclaimer-  
  
Bakura: Kelly owns nothing, but yet we still must suffer. Why is that?  
  
Ryou: *shrug* Bad karma?  
  
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Kelly: I'm on an Ootogi/Honda kick as of current. ^^; Poor Honda he's so upset.  
  
Honda: T-T *sob* I need my Shizuka plushie…  
  
Ryou: *sweat drop* - -; Honda…  
  
Bakura: *scoff* Think of it this way, my poor stupid future mind slave, Ootogi is nowhere near as sluttish at Ryou.  
  
Ryou: *mouth drops* It's not my fault she pairs me up with whomever she feels like pairing me up with! If I had my way I'd be single, but noooooo we can't have that now can we, Kelly?  
  
Kelly: *playing with the pairing chart* Hmm… maybe Ryou would go good with Bakura… ooh! Or Jounouchi!  
  
Ryou: *falls over*  
  
Honda: SHIZUKA! *crying the corner*  
  
Bakura: And everyone wonders why I'm as insane as I am…  
  
Kelly: ^_^  
  
Note: Ryou will be addressed by his surname: Bakura because it makes the story feel authentic. And I like authenticity. That's why I stole Ryou right out from under Takahashi-sensei's nose! I got caught and had to put him back, but that's a different story...  
  
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Summary: Bakura shadows a physiatrist for a school assignment that supposed to help students decide what they might want to be when they leave high school. During a session, a familiar face resurfaces, revealing more about a certain blonde than Bakura really wanted to know about anyone.  
  
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Mind Games-  
  
Session One- Let the Game Begin  
  
"So what'd you get Yug'?" Jounouchi Katsuya asked, stretching his arms out as he and his shorter friend, Yugi Motto, walked home from school. Anzu Mazaki, Honda Hiroto, and Bakura walked with them as well, each contemplating the interesting day that might judge there entire future.   
  
Earlier in the day they were asked to pick a slip of paper from a bag, on the slip was a career they might want to be interested in. Of course it was completely random and pointless considering they were merely pulling from a bag, but each student was required to shadow a person of the profession pulled and then write a paper on there experiences during the shadowing time frame.  
  
"Small Business Owner." Yugi said, somewhat happy with what he managed to pull. "I guess I could shadow Grandpa, or even Ootogi. Why what did you get Jounouchi?"  
  
"C.E.O. of a Company." Jounouchi mumbled, bitter. "I've gotta have the worst job ever." Jounouchi winced as thoughts of Kaiba blared through his thoughts. "I mean just look how Kaiba turned out!"  
  
"Maybe, you can ask if you can pull again Jounouchi." Bakura offered, as he starred at his own slip of paper. He frowned slightly as he read it over for the thousandth time.  
  
"And if they don't, I'll let you blow off some steam in my NASCAR." Honda smirked, as he patted Jounouchi on the back. Jounouchi narrowed his eyes as punched Honda in the arm.  
  
"Shut up…" Jounouchi growled, as Honda tended to his arm. It appeared that Honda had pulled NASCAR racer from the bag and he was quite content. He had a small passion for cars so this fit him perfectly.  
  
"So Anzu what did you get?" Bakura asked; he was curious if she'd gotten a dancing or performing arts job that she was training so hard for.  
  
"Dance instructor." Anzu smiled, "I can't wait to find out what it's going to be like working with someone who's in the dancing profession!  
  
"Oh Bakura, what did you pull?" Anzu asked, noticing he had been the only one who hadn't mentioned his job.  
  
"Erm… physiatrist." Bakura said his voice small and low. Yugi smiled encouragingly, as Bakura didn't exactly seem happy with what he got.  
  
"That's not a bad profession, Bakura. Actually, I think you'd make for a good physiatrist."  
  
"Psycho-whatis?" Jounouchi asked, making Bakura feel slightly worse at the mention of the word "psycho."  
  
"Physiatrist, Jounouchi." Anzu corrected sweatdroping. "It's basically a doctor dealing with the psychosis', or fears, of an individual's mind. I think the last time we went to your apartment Bakura; I saw a book about that in your book shelf. I could be wrong though." Bakura blinked, it had been a while since the other had come over. Not that he could really blame them after that Monster World game…   
  
"So Honda, tell me what makes you think you're going to be able to even drive the car?" Jounouchi sneered, as Honda blinked.  
  
"Uh…"  
  
~*~  
  
Bakura walked alone, his apartment complex was farthest so he always went home alone, thinking about how he really didn't want to shadow a physiatrist. He found them to be incredibly useless when trying to help him when he was younger; Amane's passing still scarred his mind to this day. As a matter of fact, it was a physiatrist who had gotten him into the horrible habit of writing her letters, even though she was still dead. He sigh heavily, nothing ever really went right for him.  
  
As he made it to floor B, he began to fiddle with his pockets looking for his key. He gently popped it in and turned it, quietly opening the front door. He smiled as he saw his father fast asleep on the couch; he appeared to be translating some archaic language for his next dig. Bakura, seeing no point in waking him, silently tip-toed to his room, tossing his bag on his white bed. He starred at the thick stack of unsent envelopes that sat on his desk and felt his stomach turn. His fingers twitched slightly as he exchanged his glance from the picture frame with Amane's picture in it, to the clean sheet of stationary lying on his desk, back to the pile of envelopes. Bakura shook his head and the desire to write to Amane faltered somewhat, lately he'd been trying to kick the habit since his father had come back for spring break vacation next week.  
  
"I wonder what book Anzu was talking about…" Bakura thought out loud, sifting through his tall, wide bookcases that decorated both sides of his oak desk. The bookshelves were packed tight with thickly bound old books (souvenirs from random locations his father had visited) and a few newer books he'd been forced to buy for school purposes. He blinked as he picked up and old battered book with the worn words "Psychology 101" decorating the front cover. "I don't remember getting this." Bakura blinked, opening to the cover page. It was when he saw the last name "Bakura" in big bold permanent marker that he remembered that his father had tried to take Psychology as a college course. He didn't care for it at all so he switched to an n archeology course instead. Bakura stuck his tongue out, as he flipped through the book. This course wasn't to his likings either.  
  
"Guess it runs in the family." Bakura looked up to see his father standing in the door way, yawning as he adjusted his glasses. Bakura blinked back the slight shock his father had put him in by surprising him, as he quickly shut the book. "So what's up Ryou?" He asked, pulling his shoulder length bright blue hair into a short pony tail.  
  
"Oh, hi." Bakura said, smiling weakly. Bakura got up and positioned himself in front of the stack of letters, hoping his father hadn't noticed them yet. His father raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Hey Bakura, remember that artifact I gave you, the Sennen Ring?" His father asked, taking a seat on his only son's bed. Bakura tensed slightly at the question.  
  
"Uh…" Bakura started, it had been a while since Yugi had borrowed his ring to help the Pharaoh get back to his time and he still hadn't asked for it back. Not that Yugi would be all that willing to give it to him even if he did ask; fears of "the evil spirit" returning to Bakura's body were still alive. "Yeah… I remember. Why do you ask?"  
  
"I haven't seen it in a while. What'd you do with it?" His father scaled the room, to see if it had missed his eye. He still couldn't find it.  
  
"Oh uh…" Bakura paused, his father had given it to him as a gift; a looming wave of guilt hit him as he thought about it. "Yugi, he uh… needed it for something, so I let him borrow it. He promised to return it to me when he was done with it, though." Bakura scratched his head, it wasn't really a lie, but it wasn't exactly the truth either. "I should get it back any day now. I'll remind him about it tomorrow." He smiled again weakly at his father.  
  
"So whatcha doing with m old "psycho" book? Homework?" He asked, as he reached behind Bakura and grabbed the book, Bakura sighed.  
  
"Yeah kinda."  
  
"Well, I took Psychology in college, maybe I can help." He smiled as he started looking through the pages of his book again; his face fell slightly with each turning page.  
  
"I thought you only took it for three days?" Bakura asked, blinking.  
  
"Oh yeah… seemed longer." Bakura sweat dropped as his father reminisced about his college days. "Anyways, how you'd like to go out for dinner tonight?" Bakura looked at his father and then at his book bag.  
  
"I kinda have a lot of homework. Can we do it Saturday?" Bakura asked he sadly looked at his father. His father knew Bakura wanted to spend time with him, but Bakura had developed a life while he was gone on his digs.  
  
"Sure." He said rubbing Bakura's head lovingly. Bakura smiled sadly as his father left his room.  
  
"Perhaps, my life isn't as bad as I thought…" 


End file.
